A common inconvenience to motorcycle riders and riders of other similar vehicles is the upward travel of pant legs as the vehicle is in motion. To solve this problem, riders often wear devices to retain the pant leg cuffs in their desired position. Often, in addition to the functionality of the device, riders desire a decorative element on the device. To that end, it is known in the art to have various devices to retain a pant leg cuff that include a decorative element on a part of the device that can be seen by others. However, if a rider desires a different decorative element (or to have no decorative element at all), he or she must purchase an entire new device. This can be costly and inconvenient. It is therefore desirable to have a pant leg retaining device that has interchangeable or removable decorative elements, allowing one to purchase various different decorative elements, rather than purchase numerous entire devices.
In addition, once a rider is no longer on the vehicle it is usually necessary to remove the device; however, often the device requires manipulation of the attachment means and can be difficult to remove or disengage from the user's pant cuffs. This can be especially inconvenient when the wearer is only dismounting from his or her vehicle for a short period of time and anticipates putting the device on again shortly. In such a situation, it is desirable to have a device that can be easily removed and reattached in substantially the same position. Specifically, it is desirable to have a strap that can be removed from a clip portion of the device that is secured to the pant cuff.
The use of devices to secure pant cuffs in a desired position is generally known in the art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,115,906 for Lavine et al. discloses an apparatus for maintaining the cuff of a pant leg in a downward position having an elastic strap and locking clips at each end of the strap adapted to clip to a wearer's pant cuff. However, Lavine does not disclose a means for quickly removing the strap without removing the attachment devices from the wearer's pant leg.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,542,156 to Oglesby discloses a trouser leg retaining device that keeps trouser legs attached to shoes to keep a pant leg from moving upward. The device includes chain links on either side of an elastomeric strap that are attached to a fastening means at each end. The device in Oglesby is intended to be used in conjunction with snaps positioned on the interior of the user's pants legs. While Oglesby provides a way to remove the strap without removing the entire means of attachment, Oglesby does not provide a means by which the position of the attachment to the pant leg may be altered or removed entirely. In addition, the device in Oglesby requires the user to wear pants specifically adapted for use with the disclosed device.
Patent application Ser. No. 11/668,953 by Ryder also discloses an attachment device for retaining pant legs in proper position while traveling on a vehicle such as a motorcycle. The device by Ryder includes a front attachment assembly having one or more clips and a rear or back attachment assembly having one or more clips, at least one of which attaches to a user's pant leg. However, the device by Ryder requires a user to wear a modified boot adapted to receive the attachment device.
Accordingly, there remains a need for a device which retains a user's pant leg cuff in a position relative to the user's footwear that does not required a modified pant or boot and that provides a means to easily remove the strap, while not requiring the full removal of the device from the user's pant leg cuff. Similarly there remains a need for a device with interchangeable attachment pieces so as to allow a user to change the decorative clip element of the device.